Der Weinhändler, der Trumps Zölle kippte

Nicht große Konzerne wie Amazon oder Walmart haben Trumps Zölle vor dem Obersten US-Gericht gekippt, sondern ein kleiner Weinhändler aus Manhattan. Der will die zu Unrecht gezahlten Zölle nun möglichst schnell zurück.

Von Martin Ganslmeier, ARD New York

For 40 years, Victor Owen Schwartz has been importing wines and spirits, primarily from France and the Mediterranean region, into the USA. Last year was a real storm for him: first the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, then the collapse of the dollar against the euro – his imports became 30 percent more expensive.

His joy at the Supreme Court’s ruling was all the greater: “We jumped up and danced,” says Schwartz, “even though I have a bad hip.”

Schwartz: Trump should have some insight as a businessman

In the two weeks since the verdict, he has received thousands of emails and thank-you letters from across the country. In his Manhattan office, he points to the pile on his desk: “These are from businesspeople all over the country. This has nothing to do with politics; it’s about business. And as a businessman, the president should realize that he made a bad business decision with his tariffs.”

The New York wine merchant never imagined that a renowned law firm would choose him as their lead plaintiff. He had simply wanted to explain to the lawyers how much Trump’s tariffs were endangering his business.

“Bezos and Zuckerberg did nothing”

And he was annoyed that many of the big companies didn’t have the courage to fight Trump’s tariffs: “The Bezoses and Zuckerbergs of this world did nothing. For them, it was simply another cost factor. We small businesses can’t just cough up an extra $150,000 and carry on as before.” If the big companies back down, then at least the small ones have to fight back, Schwartz decided.

He inherited his fighting spirit from his half-Jewish father-in-law. Now 101 years old, he fled his hometown of Stuttgart in 1939 to escape the Nazis and started over in New York.

“The big win” was the victory against Trump

His son, the wine merchant, is also looking ahead. Within the next three months, he intends to get back every dollar of overpaid customs duties: “Of course, you want your money back if you’ve overpaid. But more importantly, the court told the president: You broke the law. That’s the big win.”

Schwartz points to a pocket edition of the US Constitution: The courts in the US have proven their independence. Last week, the United States Court of International Trade also ruled that the Trump administration must explain within 45 days how it intends to return up to $175 billion in tariff revenue to importers. For the New York wine merchant, that amounts to about $150,000.

Schwartz: Importers and customers pay the customs duties.

If the US president imposes tariffs again in six months without congressional approval, he will sue again, Schwartz announces. Because, contrary to Trump’s claims, it is not foreign manufacturers who pay the tariffs, but rather the importers and consumers in the US: “He’s taxing Americans. The money comes out of my pocket and my colleagues’. How can Trump boast about that? Is he proud of stealing money from us?”

US media praised the New York wine merchant, saying he had triumphed over Goliath. Schwartz added that he felt a bit like a “small-town hero from a very big city.”

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